Page 55 of A Wallflower's Convenient Duke
“She did,” Blanche whispered. “I never knew. Not until tonight.”
The room fell quiet, save for the soft crackling of the fire. Penelope reached for her again, this time gripping Blanche’s hand firmly in hers.
“Oh, Blanche,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “I cannot fathom the pain you must be carrying. But you are not alone. Not now. Not ever. You are family to me. You always will be.”
Blanche’s throat tightened with gratitude, but the ache had only deepened.
“What did Philip say?” Penelope asked gently.
Blanche looked down at her lap. “He overheard part of the argument. Not all of it. And he… he thought I was complicit. That I had known all along. He looked at me as if I had betrayed him.”
Penelope’s expression darkened with outrage. “That is monstrous. He should know you better than that.”
“I tried to tell him the truth, but he wouldn’t hear it.” Blanche’s voice broke. “He told me I was no longer welcome in his home. He walked away.”
Penelope rose at once. “Then he is a fool. And until he comes to his senses, you are staying right here. We shall have a room prepared for you at once, and you need not fret over a thing. All shall come right in the end—you’ll see.”
Blanche managed a fragile smile, her fingers clutching Penelope’s as though she were a lifeline. She did not know what tomorrow would bring. She did not know if Philip’s anger would ever soften—or if the man she had come to love might return to her.
But for tonight, she was not alone.
And for now, that was enough to keep her heart from breaking completely.
